As part of your research into the production, marketing, distribution and exhibition of films this workshop on film distribution is necessary reading for understanding current developments in this changing aspect of film.

This is useful for our class case study film. Consider the reasons why the plot of the film differed from the story of the real general and the impact this might have for generating audiences.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7675633.stm

Read also this important BBC artcle written in the year 2000 which reveals how Russell Crowe was on the verge of joining the 'A' list of Hollywood stars from being just another 'respected' actor. This short article also draws attention to how the empire of ancient Rome can be interpreted as an allegory (a comparison) for the modern empire of an imploding USA. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/740653.stm

Saturday, 11 October 2008

He is earthy, astute and funny. He is also one of the sharpest critics around. Charlie Brooker's review of The X Factor adds an extra dimension of analysis for those studying this programme for their Music Programmes on TV case studies.

Wednesday, 8 October 2008

Here's a post for the student charged with researching Hans Zimmer, the composer of most of the music in "Gladiator". I'm looking forward to the feedback on the research on the Russell Crowe, Joachim Phoenix, Ridley Scott, Hans Zimmer, The Producer, David Franzoni (there are two) and how technology was used to cover up the fact that Oliver Reed died part way through the film. Consider also how speeches early in the film seem to foreshadow America and Britains' "War on Terror" in Afghanistan and Iraq with the US as the modern equivalent of The Roman Empire.

Students should also notice how "Gladiator" links the past with present with the current vogue of the Reality TV shows in which contestants try "do one another in" and then rely on audiences "saving" them in phone votes, etc. (For instance, The Weakest Link", "The Apprentice", "I'd Do Anything", etc.). Is it any wonder that Gladiator, made during the turn of the last century and the new Millennium in which audiences were encouraged to look back and look forward, appealed to modern audiences who have since been schooled in gladiatorial television series? The caesars are the panel show hosts with Carphone Warehouse sponsoring the plebs who vote from their armchairs and setees.

Saturday, 4 October 2008

FilmmakingFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThis article needs additional citations for verification.Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story idea or commission through scriptwriting, shooting, editing and finally distribution to an audience. Typically it involves a large number of people and can take anywhere between a few months to several years to complete. Filmmaking takes place all over the world in a huge range of economic, social and political contexts, using a variety of technologies and techniques.

Sales and distribution. The film is screened for potential buyers (distributors), is picked up by a distributor and reaches its theater and/or home media audience.DevelopmentThis is the stage where an idea is fleshed out into a viable script. The producer of the movie will find a story, which may come from books, plays, other films, true stories, original ideas, etc. Once the theme, or underlying message, has been identified, a synopsis will be prepared. This is followed by a step outline, which breaks the story down into one-paragraph scenes, concentrating on the dramatic structure. Next, a treatment is prepared. This is a 25 to 30 page description of the story, its mood and characters, with little dialog and stage direction, often containing drawings to help visualize the key points.The screenplay is then written over a period of several months, and may be rewritten several times to improve the dramatization, clarity, structure, characters, dialogue, and overall style. However, producers often skip the previous steps and develop submitted screenplays which are assessed through a process called script coverage. A film distributor should be contacted at an early stage to assess the likely market and potential financial success of the film. Hollywood distributors will adopt a hard-headed business approach and consider factors such as the film genre, the target audience, the historical success of similar films, the actors who might appear in the film and the potential directors of the film. All these factors imply a certain appeal of the film to a possible audience and hence the number of "bums on seats" during the theatrical release. Not all films make a profit from the theatrical release alone, therefore DVD sales and worldwide distribution rights need to be taken into account.The movie pitch, or treatment, is then prepared and presented to potential financiers. If the pitch is successful and the movie is given the "green light", then financial backing is offered, typically from a major film studio, film council or independent investors. A deal is negotiated and contracts are signed.

Pre-productionIn pre-production, the movie is designed and planned. The production company is created and a production office established. The production is storyboarded and visualized with the help of illustrators and concept artists. A production budget will also be drawn up to cost the film.The producer will hire a crew. The nature of the film, and the budget, determine the size and type of crew used during filmmaking. Many Hollywood blockbusters employ a cast and crew of thousands while a low-budget, independent film may be made by a skeleton crew of eight or nine. Typical crew positions include:The director is primarily responsible for the acting in the movie and managing the creative elements.

The production designer creates the look and feel of the production sets and props, working with the art director to create these elements.The art director manages the art department, which makes production setsThe costume designer creates the clothing for the characters in the film working closely with the actors, as well as other departments.The make up and hair designer works closely with the costume designer in addition to create a certain look for a character.

The storyboard artist creates visual images to help the director and production designer communicate their ideas to the production team.The production sound mixer manages the audio experience during the production stage of a film. He or she cooperates with the director, DOP, and AD.

A typical day's shooting begins with the crew arriving on the set/location before the calltime. Actors may arrive several hours earlier for make-up and costume. Crew will prepare for that day's filming and get any equipment (cameras, track and dolly, microphones, props). The assistant director will follow the shooting schedule for the day. The film set is constructed and the props made ready. The lighting is rigged and the camera and sound recording equipment are set up. At the same time, the actors are wardrobed in their costumes and attend the hair and make-up departments.

The actors rehearse their scripts and blocking with the director. The picture and sound crews then rehearse with the actors. Finally, the action is shot in as many takes as the director wishes.

Each take of a shot follows a slating procedure and is marked on a clapperboard, which helps the editor keep track of the takes in post-production. The clapperboard records the scene, take, director, director of photography, date, and name of the film written on the front, and is displayed for the camera. The clapperboard also serves the necessary function of providing a marker to sync up the film and the sound take. Sound is recorded on a separate apparatus from the film and they must be synced up in post-production. Most recordists have now progressed onto digital hard-drive recorders but some will still record onto DAT (digital audio tape).

After each take the director will then decide if it was acceptable or not. The script supervisor will note any continuity issues and the sound and camera teams log the take on their respective report sheets. Every report sheet records important technical notes on each take.

When shooting is finished for the scene, the assistant director declares a "wrap." The crew will "strike," or dismantle, the set for that scene. The director approves the next day's shooting schedule and a daily progress report is sent to the production office. This includes the report sheets from continuity, sound, and camera teams. Call sheets are distributed to the cast and crew to tell them when and where to turn up the next shooting day.

For productions using traditional photographic film, the unprocessed negative of the day's takes are sent to the film laboratory for processing overnight. Once processed, they return from the laboratory as dailies or rushes (film positives) and are viewed in the evening by the director, above the line crew, and, sometimes, the cast. For productions using digital technologies, shots are downloaded and organized on a computer for display as dailies.

When the entire film is in the can, or in the completion of the production phase, the production office normally arranges a wrap party to thank all the cast and crew for their efforts.Post-productionHere the film is assembled by the film editor. The modern use of video in the filmmaking process has resulted in two workflow variants: one using entirely film, and the other using a mixture of film and video.In the film workflow, the original camera film (negative) is developed and copied to a one-light workprint (positive) for editing with a mechanical editing machine. An edge code is recorded onto film to locate the position of picture frames. Since the development of non-linear editing systems such as Avid, Quantel or Final Cut Pro, the film workflow is used by very few productions.In the video workflow, the original camera negative is developed and telecined to video for editing with computer editing software. A timecode is recorded onto video tape to locate the position of picture frames. Production sound is also synced up to the video picture frames during this process.

The first job of the film editor is to build a rough cut taken from sequences (or scenes) based on individual "takes" (shots). The purpose of the rough cut is to select and order the best shots. The next step is to create a fine cut by getting all the shots to flow smoothly in a seamless story. Trimming, the process of shortening scenes by a few minutes, seconds, or even frames, is done during this phase. After the fine cut has been screened and approved by the director and producer, the picture is "locked," meaning no further changes are made. Next, the editor creates a negative cut list (using edge code) or an edit decision list (using timecode) either manually or automatically. These edit lists identify the source and the picture frame of each shot in the fine cut.

Once the picture is locked, the film passes out of the hands of the editor to the sound department to build up the sound track. The voice recordings are synchronised and the final sound mix is created. The sound mix combines sound effects, background sounds, ADR, dialogue, walla, and music.The sound track and picture are combined together, resulting in a low quality answer print of the movie. There are now two possible workflows to create the high quality release print depending on the recording medium:In the film workflow, the cut list that describes the film-based answer print is used to cut the original colour negative (OCN) and create a colour timed copy called the colour master positive or interpositive print. For all subsequent steps this effectively becomes the master copy. The next step is to create a one-light copy called the colour duplicate negative or internegative. It is from this that many copies of the final theatrical release print are made. Copying from the internegative is much simpler than copying from the interpositive directly because it is a one-light process; it also reduces wear-and-tear on the interpositive print.

In the video workflow, the edit decision list that describes the video-based answer print is used to edit the original colour tape (OCT) and create a high quality colour master tape. For all subsequent steps this effectively becomes the master copy. The next step uses a film recorder to read the colour master tape and copy each video frame directly to film to create the final theatrical release print.

Finally the film is previewed, normally by the target audience, and any feedback may result in further shooting or edits to the film.Distribution and ExhibitionThis is the final stage, where the movie is released to cinemas or, occasionally, to DVD, VCD or VHS (though VHS tapes are less common now that more people own DVD players). The movie is duplicated as required for distribution to theaters. Press kits, posters, and other advertising materials are published and the movie is advertised.

The movie will usually be launched with a launch party, press releases, interviews with the press, showings of the film at a press preview, and/or at film festivals. It is also common to create a website to accompany the movie. The movie will play at selected cinemas and the DVD is typically released a few months later. The distribution rights for the film and DVD are also usually sold for worldwide distribution. Any profits are divided between the distributor and the production company.Independent FilmmakingMain article: Independent filmFilmmaking also takes place outside of the studio system and is commonly called independent filmmaking. Since the introduction of DV technology, the means of production have become more democratized. Filmmakers can conceivably shoot and edit a movie, create and edit the sound and music, and mix the final cut on a home computer. However, while the means of production may be democratized, financing, distribution, and marketing remain difficult to accomplish outside the traditional system. Most independent filmmakers rely on film festivals to get their films noticed and sold for distribution. However, the Internet has allowed for relatively inexpensive distribution of independent films; many filmmakers post their films online for critique and recognition. Although there is little profitability in this, a filmmaker can still gain exposure via the web.